


Black Lipstick

by aretia



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, I was trying to write a silly fluff piece but I ended up with a sprinkle of angst, Pining, except it's spelled Lani because I watch without subtitles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 10:50:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18798862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aretia/pseuds/aretia
Summary: Catra is conflicted about her budding relationship with Scorpia, and getting teased about it by her teammate doesn't help.





	Black Lipstick

“I hate this place,” Catra muttered, pacing the floor of the command room where Scorpia had called her for a briefing. The outpost where they were stationed was far less cozy than Catra’s home in the Fright Zone, and that was saying something, because the Fright Zone wasn’t that cozy to begin with.

“You say that about every place, Catra,” Scorpia said gently. “But don’t worry, we won’t be stuck here for long! Our reinforcements are on their way, and once they get here, we’ll crush the rebel supply depot.” Scorpia unfurled a map cluttered with annotations, pointing to it with the tip of her claw as she spoke.

Catra glanced from the complicated map to Scorpia’s earnest grin, and she felt something twist in the pit of her stomach. The doubts she usually buried, the signs of weakness that she had spent her entire life learning how to hide, always bubbled to the surface in Scorpia’s presence.

“But what if we don’t?” Catra’s voice trembled and her volume dropped to a whisper. “I’ve had so many chances like this and every single time, I’ve failed. What if this time I don’t get another chance?”

“Don’t stress yourself out about it. I’ve got this,” Scorpia said, in that reassuring voice that made Catra’s throat feel tight. Then, Scorpia leaned down and pressed her lips to Catra’s cheek. 

Catra drew in a gasp. It was such a fleeting touch, yet it felt like a wave of light and warmth pouring into her from that point of contact. 

Scorpia only smiled at her for an instant before she broke eye contact and turned away, but there was no missing the blush that blossomed on her pale cheeks, or the bounce in her step as she walked out of the room. 

Catra’s fingers trailed over her cheek as she stood there, frozen in place. Her face was blazing with a blush of her own, and she could feel the heat under her fingertips. For months now, she and Scorpia had been dancing on the tightrope between friend and crush. Scorpia had taken a chance, a step to the side, that could either end up with them on safer ground or toppling over the edge, and Catra didn’t want to think about which. 

What she and Scorpia had was fragile, like a seedling. Catra didn’t like fragile things. She ought to nurture it until it was strong enough not to be broken by outside forces. But her impulses told her to crush it before she got too attached, because it was bound to break anyway. 

~

Catra’s face was still tingling and her head still buzzing with thoughts when she walked down the path to the edge of the stronghold, and bumped into Lani. 

“Catra! You were supposed to be here to take over my watch fifteen minutes ago,” Lani said. “What have you been doing?”

“Just important Force Captain stuff. Nothing that concerns you,” Catra scoffed.

“Really? Cuz it looks to me like you were getting cozy with Scorpia,” Lani teased, drawing out Scorpia’s name in a singsong tune.

“What?!” Catra hissed. The fire reignited in her cheeks, and her fur bristled in indignation. “I haven’t been hanging out with Scorpia! What gave you that idea?”

“Oh, are you telling me you put that black lipstick mark on your cheek as a fashion statement?” Lani said. She shoved Catra’s shoulder and pointed her towards her reflection in the polished metal wall. Catra’s eyes widened as she turned her head to the side and saw the shadow of Scorpia’s lips perfectly outlined on her cheek. 

Catra’s hand flew to her face and frantically wiped off the lipstick. “It’s just a grease stain! I was helping Entrapta with her robots!” Catra stammered, although she felt like she was only digging herself a deeper hole.

“ _Sure_ you were,” said Lani. “Better work on your excuses before your girlfriend makes you late to a meeting with Hordak.” She turned and waved over her shoulder as she strode off down the elevated walkway. 

Catra rested her elbows on top of the railing and sighed. She leaned her head in her hand and rubbed her fingers against her cheek. Staring at her reflection, she half wished that the mark was still there, evidence that it had really happened. The warmth of Scorpia’s kiss still lingered on her skin, but it wasn’t enough. 

She wished that she didn’t have to hide her feelings, but getting made fun of by her teammates was the least of her worries. If Hordak found out about Catra’s close bond with Scorpia, he could use that against her, and she couldn’t bear to imagine what would happen then. Whenever Catra had anything warm and comforting in this world, she knew that the universe would conspire to take it away from her.


End file.
